User:Ryan.opel/Mius-Front

Mius-Front was a heavily fortified defensive line created by the Germans in October 1941 under the direction of General Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist along the Mius River during World War II. Soviet troops twice tried to break through this line. First from December 1941 to July 1942 and from February to August 1942. By summer 1943, the Mius-Front consisted of three defence lines with a total depth of the Mius defence range of 40-50 kilometres. The Soviets finally succeeded in August 1943 during the Donbas offenisve when troops of the Southern Front broke through the German defence lines near the village of Kuybyshevo.

Fortifications
The main line of defence started off the coast of the Azov Sea to the east of Taganrog, then ran along the river Mius, which gave the name of the line.

The depth of the line of fortifications in places reached up to 11 kilometres along the river. Mius line passed through on the right, which is the river's high bank. There were also used frequent breaks, heights, ravines and cliffs, typical for the area of Donetsk range. In particular, the defence system was part of the mound Saur-Grave - eminence to close. Saurovka in Shakhtyorsk district of Donetsk region.

About 800 fortifications were involved in the strip width of 45-50 km.

In order to build the fortification rails from local mines, wood from local homes and buildings were used. The Germans used local forced labor to build the positions.

The line contained pillboxes and bunkers, machine gun nests and mobile artillery positions. The line also contained minefields, trenches, tank traps and barbed wire. The minefields were at least 200 meters deep, backed up by 20-30 pillboxes and bunkers per square kilometre.

August-December 1941
The line p. Mius German Army ( Panzer Group von Kleist ) came out in October 1941: October 17 fell Taganrog. The onset of autumn slush and depletion of fuel forced to delay progress [4]. The commander of the "South" Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt believed that before the onset of winter should not continue. So began construction of the fortification line on the river. Mius. [5] . However, Hitler insisted on continuing the offensive, and on November 17, Kleist's tanks moved to Rostov-on-Don. After a week of heavy fighting, the Red Army's defense was broken, and on the night of November 20, German troops entered the city.

In full accordance with the prediction of Rundstedt, forces to hold the city did not have enough already, and on November 28, Soviet troops under the command of S. Timoshenko, after a fierce and bloody battle, again occupied Rostov-on-Don. Rundstedt asked Hitler's permission to withdraw to prepare a defensive line at p. Mius, but did not get permission. However, the order was given to sail, for that on the same day, Rundstedt was relieved of his command. The new commander of the group "South" Walter von Reichenau, arrived at the scene confirmed the order to retreat. Frontier Mius of the 17th Field Army held throughout the spring of 1942 until the next start of the offensive in the Caucasus [6].

Winter 1942/43
The defense of the Wehrmacht on the Mius-Front continued until July 1942 when, after the failure of the Red Army at Kharkov German command began an offensive in the Kuban and the Caucasus. July 24 of the 17th Army re-entered the Rostov. At this time, the Soviet troops did not have adequate resistance to the enemy, which was noted in the text of the famous order of NCO number 227 - "Not one step back."

After the entourage of the 6th Army Paulus at Stalingrad in December 1942, the Wehrmacht group in the Kuban and North Caucasus ( Army Group "A" ) threatened the environment, as part of the Red Army, who were in the area of Stalingrad, were much closer to Rostov-on-Don , through which passed a group communication with the rest of the Eastern Front. Hitler's order to retreat from the Caucasus followed on December 27, 1942, when the forces of the Red Army were already dangerously close to Rostov. Heavy fighting on the outskirts of the city continued throughout January 1943. Wehrmacht still managed to hold off the Red Army 1st Armored crossed the river and escaped the encirclement. After that, the German troops left Rostov-on-Don (released February 14 1943) and again moved to the front-line of the Mius, where entrenched until the summer of 1943 [7].

Breakthrough Mius-Front
Preparing for the breakthrough Mius-Front was launched in May 1943. In the offensive participated connections 5th Shock Army of the Southern Front.

Especially heavy fighting took place in July 17 on 2 August 1943 for a beachhead in the village Stepanivka [8]. July 17, Soviet troops broke through to 2-6 kilometers. Jul. 18 - have taken abroad Stepanivka - Marinovka. July 30 went to the counter 100 German tanks, they walked from the Sasquatch. 2 August, Soviet troops retreated to the left bank of the Mius.

July 28, 1943 from Kharkov on the Mius-Front were transferred three SS Panzer Division, although in Kharkiv at this time battles were fought.

The offensive of the Soviet Army in July-December 1943
August 18, 1943 began the offensive of the Southern Front. Previously been held 70-minute artillery barrage which was attended by 1,500 artillery guns and mortars. After the artillery barrage of the 5th Shock Army began to attack. Attacked the tanks in front of them were engineers who showed passages in minefields, because due to the dust and smoke review has been difficult and tankers have not seen veshek established by sappers. The tanks was infantry. From the air attack supported " Elah "- storm troopers of the 7th Air Corps. Mius-front was broken to a depth of 8-9 kilometers.

August 19 in the village of Kujbyshevo 4th Guards Mechanized Corps under the command of Lieutenant-General I. T. Tanaschishina moved to the front line at 20 kilometers. Their tanks approached Amvrosievka. Basically breakthrough was 24 kilometers deep and 16 kilometers wide closer to the second line of defense.

August 20 and 21 as a result of the German counter-attack Soviet troops retreated slightly. August 22-26, the German command had brought from the Crimea Panzer Division [ clarify ]. After collecting units from neighboring parts of the front, the Germans tried to surround the advancing flank attacks.

On the night of August 24, Soviet troops went on the attack and took the village Artemovka, Krinichki, farm Semyonov. Was busy road at Taganrog, depriving the German troops opportunities to throw reserves.

August 27 was released Amvrosievka, villages and large Meshkovo Blagodatnoye.

Sturm Saur-Graves Soviet troops began August 28, 1943. Participated in the storming of the 96th Guards Rifle Division, commanded by Colonel Guard Samuilovich Simon Levin. August 29 after the artillery attack Soviet troops captured almost the top, but the Germans counter-attack in the direction of the farm Saurmogilsky (now village Saurovka) pushed the attackers. Height was taken in the morning on August 31. After taking the height of the Soviet troops immediately continued persecution of German troops, retreating in the direction of Snow and Chistyakov (now Thorez).

Mius-front long delayed advance of the Red Army in the south. If Rostov-on-Don, was released in February 1943, the Taganrog - only 30 August 1943.

The memory of the battles on the Mius-Front
The memorial complex "Mius-Front" in Krasny Luch, 2007

"Memorial of Glory in the heights Sambekskih" in Neklinovsky district of Rostov region near the village of Sambek Near the town of Snow is a memorial complex " Saur-grave "- height, for which in August 1943 fought fierce battles against the Nazi forces of the 5th Shock Army of the Southern Front. In the years 1967-1975 by Saur-Grave memorial erected in memory of the heroism of Soviet soldiers killed in the assault of height and break the German defensive lines on the river Mius.

In the Red Ray erected a memorial complex "Mius-Front".

7 May 1980 in Neklinovsky district of Rostov region near the village of Sambek in honor of the soldiers of the 130th and 416th Infantry Divisions, awarded the honorary title "Taganrog" was erected memorial of military glory, officially called the "Memorial of Glory in the heights Sambekskih." The monument was erected on the highest point near the time of the crumbling trenches, machine-gun nests destroyed, dug-outs on the outskirts of the village. On a large stone at the entrance to the memorial bears the inscription: Stop, comrade! Bow to the ground, dipped in the blood of your people, the heroes who defended the world in which you live. Let on that mound your heart ignite a great fire of their selfless love for the country, and through the years, your memory will carry the glory of the immortal exploits them for transmission to descendants through the ages. Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten. " Author of the complex - the Baku sculptor E. Shamilov and Rostov architects VI and IV Gregory [9] . The monument consists of two concrete walls - two infantry divisions in the liberation of these places and is the largest monument in the Rostov region. At the unveiling attended by the Azerbaijani delegation headed by the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Heydar Aliyev [10] [11].

Publications
Your liberators Donbass. Essays, memoirs / composer Tepljakov GV - 5th, amplified. - Donetsk "Donbass", 1976. - 423. - 100,000 copies. Olejnikov M. J. Saur-Grave. Guide. - Donetsk "Donbass", 1976. - 32. - 25,000 copies. Puzhaev GK Blood and Glory Mius. - M. ​​BANNER plus 2008. Mius-Front in World War II, the years 1941-1942, 1943. - Rostov-on-Don, Southern Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2010. [12] Notes: [ edit ]

↑ The turn was left to the enemy in a general retreat to the line of the Dnieper (See Line Panther - Wotan ).

Footnotes [ edit ]

1 mound height 277.9 meters, one of the highest points of the Donetsk Ridge 2 The second line of defense is passed on the right bank of the river Jug and Wet Elanchik and through settlements Krasny Kut, Manuylovka , Andreevka. The third line of defense is passed on the right bank of the river Kalmius, east of Stalino , Makeevki and Gorlovki. However, these fortifications are involved in the fighting were not. 3 Olejnikov M. J. Saur-Grave. Guide. - Donetsk "Donbass", 1976. - C. 8. - 25,000 copies. 4 David Irving, "Hitler's War", Viking Adult (1977) ISBN 0-670-37412-1, ISBN 978-0-670-37412-0 5 S. Mitch, "Hitler's Field Marshals," Smolensk "Rusich", 1999, page 396 6 As part of the forces defending the Mius-Front in the winter and spring of 1942 and was the 1st Mountain Division [1] 7 E. von Manstein "Lost Victories" 8 Waffen SS under Stepanivka (English) 9 Glory Memorial at altitudes Sambekskih online «Wikimapia» 10 The opening of the "Memorial of Glory" military exploits soldiers of the 130th and 416th Infantry Divisions in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Victory 11 Azerbaijani diaspora took part in the Victory Parade in the "Memorial of Glory" In the Heights Sambekskih " 12 Chalenko S. Mius-Front awaits the truth / / Taganrog true. - 2010. - December 28.